Understanding student behavior and perceptions toward earning badges in a gamified MOOC

Producción CientíficaDespite the advantages of MOOCs, such as the open and free access to education, these courses are criticized for students’ lack of motivation and their high dropout rates. Gamification is a technique used to increase student motivation and engagement in small-scale educational contexts. However, the effects of gamification on student engagement have been scarcely explored in MOOC environments, and the findings so far are inconsistent. To address this gap, this research work examines the students’ behavior toward earning badges and how it relates to their engagement in a gamified MOOC. According to the results, the behaviors toward badges of the active students were generally positive and significantly correlated with other variables measuring their engagement (e.g., pageviews, submitted tasks, forum posts), although this positive behavior seems to decrease throughout the course. Additionally, students that reported high motivation by badges at the end of the course showed a higher engagement level than those that were not appealed by badges.European Regional Development Fund, under project grants TIN2014-53199-C3-2-R and TIN2017-85179-C3-2-RJunta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. Project VA082U16 and VA257P18)European Commission, under project grant 588438-EPP-1-2017-1-EL-EPPKA2-KA

To reward and beyond: Analyzing the effect of reward-basedstrategies in a MOOC

Producción CientíficaDespite the benefits of MOOCs (e.g., open access to education offered by prestigious universities), the low level of student engagement remains as an important issue causing massive dropouts in such courses. The use of reward-based gamification strategies is one approach to promote student engagement and prevent dropout. However, there is a lack of solid empirical studies analyzing the effects of rewards in MOOC environments. This paper reports a between-subjects design study conducted in a MOOC to analyze the effects of badges and redeemable rewards on student retention and engagement. Results show that the implemented reward strategies had not significant effect on student retention and behavioral engagement measured through the number of pageviews, task submissions, and student activity time. However, it was found that learners able to earn badges and redeemable rewards participated more in gamified tasks than those learners in the control group. Additionally, results reveal that the participants in the redeemable reward condition requested and earned earlier the rewards than those participants in the badge condition. The potential implications of these findings in the instructional design of future gamified MOOCs are also discussed.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (projects TIN2017-85179-C3-2-R / TIN2014-53199-C3-2-R)Junta de Castilla y León (project VA257P18)European Commission (project 588438-EPP-1-2017-1-EL- EPPKA2-KA

D2.1 Analysis of existing MOOC platforms and services

The main objective of this task is to analyze features and services of MOOC platforms that are used in ECO and, secondly, in other commonly used MOOC platforms. This task takes into account the functionality that is required by the different pilots from two viewpoints: technological and pedagogical aspects. Firstly, to ensure this objective, this task performed a state-of-the-art review, mainly research papers and all annotated scientific literature. Secondly, we elaborate a Competitive Analysis Checklist for MOOC platforms. An approach based on technological and pedagogical items is suggested to define specific dimensions for this task. This Checklist will be a useful tool for evaluating MOOC platforms. Thirdly, five of the ECO platforms have been evaluated by using the authoring and delivery environment to check for the availability of features that are essential for the implementation of the pedagogical model as described in D2.1. It became clear that these platforms are not very suitable for the pedagogical model. Finally, a Guide for the Effective Creation of MOOCs has been drawn up indicating to assist course designers to compare the functionality, features, pedagogical and instructional advantages so they can choose the most suitable one for their areas of interest and needs.Part of the work carried out has been funded with support from the European Commission, under the ICT Policy Support Programme, as part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) in the ECO project under grant agreement n° 21127

Moving Beyond MOOC Mania: Lessons from a Faculty-Designed MOOC

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have attracted fame, perhaps even notoriety, in recent years. However, we have yet to articulate clearly the purpose and potential for MOOCs. Moreover, we lack established best practices in the process of designing MOOCs. We lack models for practical use by faculty and early career instructional designers, whose group members function with limited resources but would like to engage in the intriguing process of MOOC design. The first goal for this case study is to demonstrate how a MOOC titled Adventures in Learning Design, Technology, and Innovation (#LDTIMOLO) was developed following the ADDIE framework and theoretical perspectives of heutagogy and connectivism, and how that MOOC was evaluated with an emphasis on learner engagement. The second goal is to discuss the purpose and potential power of MOOCs and to reveal the surprising impact on graduate students that resulted from “wrapping a course around a MOOC” (Bruff, Fisher, McEwen, & Smith, 2013). The study explores questions regarding: How was ADDIE used in the design of #LDTIMOLO?What does engagement look like in #LDTIMOLO?What are the design lessons learned from evaluating #LDTIMOLO?What is the purpose of a MOOC?What are the reasons that participants took this MOOC (#LDTIMOLO)?What is the role of a MOOC instructor/facilitator?What is the impact of #LDTIMOLO on the participating graduate students?What is the best course of action for me moving forward with faculty-designed MOOCs

MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses)

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free online courses available to anyone who can sign up. MOOCs provide an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills, advance in careers, and provide quality educational experiences to a certain extent. Millions of people around the world use MOOCs for learning and their reasons are various, including career development, career change, college preparation, supplementary learning, lifelong learning, corporate e-Learning and training, and so on